Game review: FZ: Formation Z (Xbox Series X)

2D side-scrolling shooters have existed for decades, but most of them were made in the '80s and early '90s. I remember my brother playing a ton of them on our old Amiga family computer before it sadly died sometime in 1997.

A side-scroller I did not get a chance to play was Formation Z. This game was originally released in 1984 in Japanese arcades and has since been re-released several times for modern devices.

Well, 42 years after the release of Formation Z, a full remake has been made called FZ: Formation Z. Aside from being a direct 1-to-1 port, this remake includes newer graphics, new modes, new content, and much more.

FZ: Formation Z now features beautiful 3D graphics and backgrounds, but it still retains the original game's 2D-style gameplay. I'm not sure what the game looks like on other platforms, but the FZ: Formation Z looks and plays brilliantly on the Xbox Series X console.

One of the more unique things about the game is the fact that you can play it in two different ways. The default form you pilot is a bipedal mech that has a cool laser gun similar to that of Optimus Prime.

There are two ways you can shoot the gun in FZ: Formation Z. By pressing the B button on Xbox, you have a rapid-fire laser shot. If you hold down on the X button on Xbox, you can charge a blue laser called the Big Bang Shot.

In my experience, the rapid-fire shot is the best way to play the game because the enemies come thick and fast. The Big Bang Shot is cool and all, but it is a bit on the slow side. Most enemies are easy to kill, though, aside from the level-ending bosses.

If enemies are on the ground and very close to you, the robot has two cool melee attacks. I used melee attacks a lot when enemies had a blue shield around them. You have to use melee attacks quickly because the screen scrolls really fast to the right, so you don't have any time for sightseeing!

Much like Optimus Prime, the other way to play the game is in vehicle mode. While Optimus Prime transforms into a truck, the main character in this game is like Starscream because he can transform into a jet plane.

By holding down the A button, you can transform into vehicle or robot mode at any time during gameplay. Robot mode is best to use when enemies are on the ground, while jet plane mode is recommended if you need to take out flying enemies.

The jet plane mode has pretty much the same weapons as robot mode, but it also includes missiles. Missiles are cool to use on enemies that may have more health. I especially loved using missiles on bosses whenever I confronted them.

Sometimes the jet plane mode is mandatory to use because you may have to fly over bodies of water or hostile laser grids. The only annoying thing about jet plane mode is the fact that it uses up too much energy. If you use up all of your energy, you return to robot mode. This can be catastrophic if you run out of energy and are still above the sea!

Thankfully, you can pick up blue power-ups that replenish your energy if it's being depleted. Still, I think this mechanic is annoying because there's nothing you can really do if your plane goes down and there's no land for the robot to stand on. I had to restart checkpoints many times due to this.

Another thing that might seem hard for some gamers is that you have a limited number of credits to finish the entire game. When I booted the game for the first time, I only received five credits. It seemed impossible to finish the game with five credits because you die with only one hit!

However, when I had to start from the beginning all over again, they increased it to 10 credits. I died a second time, and then I saw 30 credits. I guess the game is generous if you die lots of times. Each credit has three lives, so the game gets easier the more you die.

Some people may also find the game might be too short. There are only five levels in total, and if you are really good, you may finish the game in just over an hour. That said, it took me a longer time to finish the game because I found it quite hard at times.

Outside of the main campaign, there's Score Attack, an enemy encyclopaedia, a gallery, and customisation options. You have to complete some challenging in-game quests to unlock all of the images in the gallery. They're not included already, like in some Capcom fighting game collections I've played in the past.

While it might be challenging for some gamers, FZ: Formation Z is still an excellent game with colourful graphics and fast-paced gameplay. Despite its relatively short length, this is still worth playing for fans of old-school style shooters.

Verdict: 8.0/10